Chelsea welcome Burnley to Stamford Bridge for a dose of Easter Monday Night Football as this weekend’s Premier League action draws to a close.
Following Arsenal’s defeat on Sunday, victory will send Chelsea third whilst Burnley can confirm their safety by taking all three points.
Team news
Embed from Getty ImagesChelsea could have Eden Hazard available after recovering from a knock which forced him off against Slavia Prague on Thursday.
Left-back, Marcos Alonso is also available after overcoming a gluteal muscular injury, which kept him out in midweek.
Marco van Ginkel (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and Ethan Ampadu (back) are both long-term absentees but Antonio Rudiger could return from a knee injury next weekend.
Burnley could welcome Phil Bardsley back from a thigh injury which kept him out of their last two games against Cardiff and Bournemouth.
Peter Crouch (abdominal) and Aaron Lennon (knee) are both ruled out but could return before the end of season, unlike Steven Defour who is out until next season with a calf issue.
Form
Chelsea enter this game with three wins from their last five and are unbeaten at home in 2019, taking five wins and two draws from seven league games at Stamford Bridge.
Burnley meanwhile are on a three match winning run and have scored in ten of their last eleven league games.
Stat Attack
- Chelsea have lost just one of their last nine meetings with Burnley (W6, D2, L1).
- Chelsea have scored in each of their last 11 home meetings with Burnley since a 1-0 loss in April 1971.
- From Burnley’s starting eleven for their 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge in August 2017, Sam Vokes is now their only absentee after joining Stoke City in January.
- David Luiz and Jorginho have produced a combined 68 through balls for Chelsea and are the two leading through ball players in league this season.
- James Tarkowski and Ben Mee have combined to produce 87 blocks, 50 blocks ahead of third-placed Shane Duffy who has blocked 37 balls for Brighton.
Prediction
This is an absolute must win for Chelsea because their final three games are all against teams in the top half, who also have something to fight for.
I am therefore expecting a strong attacking performance from the Blues but Burnley will give it everything if recent defensive displays are anything to go by, with the performance against Cardiff last weekend a particular highlight.
A draw therefore would be a great result for both teams but with someone like Hazard in great home form, Chelsea surely will find a way past Tarkowski and Mee.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Burnley
Jake predicts: Chelsea 2-0 Burnley
Result: Chelsea 2-2 Burnley